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Safety concerns arise over Hampton Village School green space

Author of the article:

Morgan Modjeski • Saskatoon StarPhoenix

Publishing date:

June 8, 2016 • 3 minute read

Work continues on the Hampton Village joint use School on Hampton Circle, Thursday, February 18, 2016. At a town hall meeting in May, some parents raised concerns about the location of the school's green spaces in regards to its location to the school's parking lot and pick-up zone, as children will have to cross the lot to get to the nearby green space.Greg Pender/ Saskatoon StarPhoenix

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Children attending Saskatoon’s Hampton Village School may have to cross a parking lot to get to their green space when it opens in 2017, and some parents have raised questions about its location.

According to design plans, the municipal reserve, which will also host “play fields,” is located behind the school’s parking lot and pickup zone. Concerns about the location surfaced at a recent town hall meeting.

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Some parents in the community, however, aren’t too worried.

“It certainly raises some questions about safety,” said Jessica Hughes, whose daughter will attend the school in 2017. “Although I would have to say I would trust that the planners and designers would have taken that into consideration when opening the school.”

Hughes said while she has faith staff will make student well-being a priority, she would like to see dedicated staff monitoring the parking lot following the school’s opening in order to ensure students are aware of the potential dangers.

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Others, like Cinthia Hill-Bird, another parent with kids set to attend Hampton Village, said, “As long as vehicles are parked there for the day, I have no issues.”

Since the majority of vehicles passing through the space will be driven by either parents, teachers or staff, she is confident drivers will be vigilant when travelling through the parking lot, she said.

“I think it’s an excellent teaching tool. It’s a way to teach safety.”

According to design and construction specifications, the consortium of businesses responsible for building the schools must develop “pathways to provide universal access to all entrances and exits, parking, play areas and city walks.”

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The specifications also note that in areas where pedestrians have to cross traffic, such as a school parking lot, “dedicated cross walks shall be provided,” and will be clearly marked to make them obvious to students and drivers.

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Allie Perrin, a design consultant for PlayWorks, said the design of the Hampton Village School has its pros and cons.

“The advantage is the parking lot is likely slower than any traditional collector street,” she said, noting that in most designs, the pickup zone is in front of the school with parking lots located on the side away from the playground.

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“The disadvantage is you’re introducing a slower, different form of traffic into the recreational space that kids will have access to.”

Perrin said during high-traffic times, safety issues may arise, but potential problems could be mitigated with proper barriers between the play area and parking lot, ample signage and measures — like speed bumps — to ensure traffic moves at a slowed pace.

Age groups and student behaviours are also factors in the equation.

Carla Beck, education critic for the Saskatchewan NDP, said the root of the potential issue is in a lack of consultation.

“You do have a core design here with these P3 schools. Typically when you’re building schools … there’s a big consultation with parents and the local community, (so) that you could design a school that fits the need of that community,” she said.

“That hasn’t been as possible with these P3 schools and I think that’s part of the issue with just the scope of these projects. Of course we want schools built — and we need schools built in these growing neighbourhoods — but we want to make sure that we get it right.”

A statement from the Ministry of Education said it “appreciates the concerns raised by the parents.”

“The Ministry would like to work with our partners to discuss the situation,” the statement added, noting the ministry will contact stakeholders this week.

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